What’s Your Commute to School Like?

How are you or your children getting to school?

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Yesterday, I met a mother who drives her daughter to her friend’s house, where from the children walk the rest of the way to school on their own. Let’s keep the sidewalks clear this winter to help them do that year round.

Below, full bike racks at NMC during the first week of school; it is an excellent campus to ride to.

In 1960, nearly half of all school children walked or rode a bicycle to school. Almost all of the rest rode a school bus. Today, close to 60% of school children are driven to school in a private car, around 30% ride the bus and the number of children walking or pedaling has fallen to the low teens.

This increase in miles driven to and from schools has consequences like increased childhood obesity, poor air quality around schools with increase in asthma rates, and added pressure on urban infrastructure to name just three.